Model high school programs linking students to college and careers threatened

January 19, 2012

January 19, 2012

Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposed budget has cast a darker shadow over the future of hundreds of model high school programs that help prepare students for college and careers.
About half of the nearly 500 California Partnership Academies, essentially “schools within schools” on high school campuses, were already threatened by a loss of funding they rely on due to legislation that will expire this June.

But in his January budget, funding for the academies are among 42 so-called “categorical programs” that Brown is recommending be phased out, threatening $21 million that the remaining academies have relied on.

As part of a drive by Brown to give local school districts more flexibility, school districts could choose to spend the funds on the academies, were his plan approved by the Legislature. But past experience indicates that districts might well use their new-found flexibility to spend some or all “categorical” funds, such as those designated for the high school academies, on other purposes.

Serving some 48,000 students in 36 counties, the academies, which typically focus on occupational themes such as health, media, business, and technology, provide students an opportunity to form small learning communities and take classes and participate in other activities directly related to their college or career interests.

At least half of the 150 to 200 students who participate in a typical high school academy must be from low-income backgrounds and be “at risk” in some way based on factors such as low test scores and poor attendance. A key aspect of the program is that students take classes together and develop a family-like esprit de corps.

Although only serving a small percentage of the state’s 6.2 million students, they are regarded as a model for how to develop courses that prepare students for both college and career and give students direct experience in the world of professional work.

“They are a ray of hope for the state,” said David Stern, professor emeritus of education at UC Berkeley and principal investigator for the Career Academy Support Network.

For some students, participation can be a life-changing experience, said Sara Dozier, coordinator of MedTech Academy at San Diego High School. The program, she said, creates “a sense of community where at-risk students feel like a part of an extended [family] and see a world outside their neighborhood.”

The program enrolls approximately 30 students per grade. Students take courses with health themes that are integrated into the core curriculum, such as “Medical Math,” “Human Body Systems,” “Biomedical Innovation,” and “Medical Contemporary Voices.” In addition, students are offered internships, lined up with mentors, and take field trips to businesses and institutions in the health field.

Without funding from the state, among other things there will be no funds to support those field trips, which Dozier says is a key part of the program’s success. “The opportunities our students have to visit universities, businesses, and community organizations open their eyes to the possibilities that await them,” she said.

Unlike many school programs, 184 California Partnership Academies have been assured of state funding as a result of legislation (Senate Bill 70), which funds internships, field trips, and a teacher coordinator to run the program.

State Sen. Loni Hancock, D-Berkeley, is leading the effort to continue funding after SB 70 expires in June. “The academies provide kids with real opportunities for learning for career and college,” said Rebecca Baumann, Hancock’s education consultant. “They are serving the students we need to focus on most, students who are at risk and who are looking for something to engage them in school.”

SB 70, along with another piece of legislation, Assembly Bill 519, together ensured more than $30 million annually for the program. The funds then had to be matched by local employers and school districts. But both pieces of legislation are due to “sunset” in June.

Connie Moore-Kelly, coordinator of the Business and Interactive Technology Academy at Alexander Hamilton High School in Los Angeles, said funding from SB 70 has allowed her class to go on field trips that are a core part of the educational experience. For example, her class was able to attend Finance Park, a nationwide program funded by Junior Achievement that educates students about personal finance.

Classroom teachers spend several weeks preparing students to visit Finance Park by teaching students about taxes, personal budgeting, investing, and using credit. Then students attend Finance Park where they participate in a day-long simulation in which they must maintain a family budget, evaluate stock holdings, and calculate how much money they can spend in an average month.

Because of funding from SB 70, Moore was also able to offer Adobe and Microsoft certification courses. Moore says these courses make her students far more marketable in an extremely tight labor market for younger workers, even the most highly qualified.

Research conducted by UC Berkeley’s Stern and fellow researchers Charles Dayton and Candace Hamilton Hester found the California Partnership Academies had the following positive outcomes:

• 57% of graduates fulfill courses required for admission to UC or CSU, compared with 36% of all graduates;

• African American and Hispanic seniors graduated at significantly higher rates than non-participants;

• 88% of academy graduates plan to attend college.

Stern said the goal should not be just to protect existing academies, but to expand the model across the state. A reasonable target, he said, would be to enroll about one-third of all high school students in academies or other college-and-career pathways. “We are talking about a population that is always in jeopardy in terms of finding jobs or getting into higher education or both, so enabling this population to achieve such high passing rates in A-G classes (needed for admission to both UC and CSU) is an achievement,” he said. “Other research has found positive performance eight years after high school argues strongly for continuing these programs.”

For Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, support for California Partnership Academies “is a high priority,” said Susanna Cooper, his principal education consultant. Steinberg authored SB X1 1, a “clean technology” bill that would give some $8 million to academies that focus on clean and renewable energy. But because of funding uncertainties, it is not yet clear how many schools will be able to be helped by this bill, which was signed into law by Gov. Brown last April.

Stern said some programs might be able to survive without state support, in cases where there is a “fortuitous combination of a strong program, an advisory committee, a strong principal and a superintendent who really knows what is going on.” But he fears that if the funding were to dry up, “most of them will disappear.”

Comments Policy

Milan Moravec8 years ago8 years ago

Every qualified California student must get a place in public University of California (UC). That's a desirable goal for UC. However, UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert J. Birgeneau displaces Californians qualified for education at Cal. with foreigners paying $50,600 tuition.
Paying more is not a better education. UC tuition increases exceed the national average rate of increase. Birgeneau has doubled instate tuition/fees. Birgeneau jeopardizes access to Cal by making it the most expensive public university.
UC President Mark … Read More

Every qualified California student must get a place in public University of California (UC). That’s a desirable goal for UC. However, UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert J. Birgeneau displaces Californians qualified for education at Cal. with foreigners paying $50,600 tuition.
Paying more is not a better education. UC tuition increases exceed the national average rate of increase. Birgeneau has doubled instate tuition/fees. Birgeneau jeopardizes access to Cal by making it the most expensive public university.
UC President Mark Yudof uses tuition increases to pay for faculty & administrator salary increases. Payoffs like these point to higher operating costs and still higher tuition and taxes. Instate tuition consumes 14% of Cal. Median Family Income. President Yudof is hijacking our families’ and kids’ futures: student debt.
I agree that Yudof and Birgeneau should consider the students’ welfare & put it high on their values. Deeds unfortunately do not bear out the students’ welfare values of Birgeneau, Regent Chairwoman Lansing and President Yudof.
We must act. Birgeneau’s campus police deployed violent baton jabs on students protesting Birgeneau’s tuition increases. The sky will not fall when Chancellor Robert J Birgeneau ($450,000 salary) ‘honorably’ retires.
Opinions to UC Board of Regents, email marsha.kelman@ucop.edu

Christopher Van Meter8 years ago8 years ago

Alternatively, I agree with Eric's point on ongoing continued support. It should not be coming from the state, rather from the industry that the Academy provides the education for. The state has provided initial funding that allowed the school sites to make the large investment into infrastructure and equipment to outfit or retrofit the site for the academy. Without this, my site would still have dilapidated shops set for auto and wood. … Read More

Alternatively, I agree with Eric’s point on ongoing continued support. It should not be coming from the state, rather from the industry that the Academy provides the education for. The state has provided initial funding that allowed the school sites to make the large investment into infrastructure and equipment to outfit or retrofit the site for the academy. Without this, my site would still have dilapidated shops set for auto and wood. With the initial grant, the school refurbished the shops into state-of-the-art technology centers with electrical and technological hubs suited for the 21st century education. For example, the Green Manufacturing Academy that I teach will allow the student to explore many facets of manufacturing technology with the focus of green energy implementation. Local manufacturers see this as the wise investment into the education of these youths and provide paid internships in their senior years. Additionally, the local Partner’s in Education have provided a guaranteed access to a paying job for 1/3rd of the students. The rest will seek college and or have the skills to fall directly into the workforce with good paying jobs. The bottom line however, must be in making the industry (manufacturing, engineering, medical, etc.) take responsibility for additional resources after the initial state investment and make permanent the academy concept, it works phenomenally.

Tina8 years ago8 years ago

Absolutely. We should support this excellent model, and not just with money from the state, but with personnel who understand the program and are dedicated to facilitating its' success. It's time for the pendulum to swing back away from a one size fits all A-G only model, and towards education in essential skills and careers that help sustain our society. Academy students learn to operate state of the art technology in health and engineering fields, … Read More

Absolutely. We should support this excellent model, and not just with money from the state, but with personnel who understand the program and are dedicated to facilitating its’ success. It’s time for the pendulum to swing back away from a one size fits all A-G only model, and towards education in essential skills and careers that help sustain our society. Academy students learn to operate state of the art technology in health and engineering fields, analyze local watersheds and advocate for environmental protections, develop sustainable business models, and receive counseling on how to pusue post-secondary goals. Students enjoy the experiences, they learn marketable skills, and society benefits from every citizen who contributes to their community.

Academies are a positive option for public education, as opposed to many covert subsidies for pseudo-private charter schools.

oz8 years ago8 years ago

The California Partnership Academies are an excellent example of what the out-dated high school system should look like. They prepare students not only academically but with the skills and, more important, with actual on-the-job EXPERIENCES necessary to, at the very least, spark interest in various industry sectors. The data and studies don't lie: the academy model works, it works fantastically, and should be protected and expanded by the politicians that be genuinely care … Read More

The California Partnership Academies are an excellent example of what the out-dated high school system should look like. They prepare students not only academically but with the skills and, more important, with actual on-the-job EXPERIENCES necessary to, at the very least, spark interest in various industry sectors. The data and studies don’t lie: the academy model works, it works fantastically, and should be protected and expanded by the politicians that be genuinely care about the state’s education.

Jerry8 years ago8 years ago

Actually, Eric, school staff, parents, industry partners, and students are required to be integral parts in the planning and implementation of these programs. The clear requirements and
accountability built into the programs is in large part why they're
quantifiably the most successful program in helping at risk students in education today. You don't have to take my word for it - check the data, or better yet, ask an academy kid. Is your negative attitude related to … Read More

Actually, Eric, school staff, parents, industry partners, and students are required to be integral parts in the planning and implementation of these programs. The clear requirements and
accountability built into the programs is in large part why they’re
quantifiably the most successful program in helping at risk students in education today. You don’t have to take my word for it – check the data, or better yet, ask an academy kid. Is your negative attitude related to an innate need to do things your own way that cost you a grant, or because you can’t grasp all this state money into charter schools which is your real day job?

Sincerely,

A Happy Academy Parent

Milan Moravec8 years ago8 years ago

Abolish foreign student subsidy at UC Berkeley. Californians subsidize the tuition of foreign students at UC Berkeley (UCB) in the guise of diversity while instate student tuition/fees are doubled. UCB Chancellor Robert J Birgeneau displaces Californians qualified for public UCB with a $50,600 payment from foreign students.
UC Berkeley is not increasing enrollment. Birgeneau accepts $50,600 foreign students and displaces qualified instate Californians (When depreciation of assets funded by Californians are in foreign and out of … Read More

Abolish foreign student subsidy at UC Berkeley. Californians subsidize the tuition of foreign students at UC Berkeley (UCB) in the guise of diversity while instate student tuition/fees are doubled. UCB Chancellor Robert J Birgeneau displaces Californians qualified for public UCB with a $50,600 payment from foreign students.

UC Berkeley is not increasing enrollment. Birgeneau accepts $50,600 foreign students and displaces qualified instate Californians (When depreciation of assets funded by Californians are in foreign and out of state tuition calculations, out of state and foreign tuition is more than $100,000 + and does NOT subsidize instate tuition).
Like Coaches, Chancellors Who Do Not Measure Up Must Go: remove Birgeneau.

Eric Premack8 years ago8 years ago

Perhaps the funding for this program should be directed instead to one-time grants that fund school staff, parents, business and others to plan and (re)launch more sustainable and independently-governed academies that don’t require large, ongoing subsidies that the state can ill afford and are governed outside of the reach of local school boards if such boards threaten their existence.